Information for Market Basket Employees

The Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division provides the following information in an effort to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions we are receiving from Market Basket workers.

Any Massachusetts worker whose employment is involuntarily terminated must be paid all wages that are due on the same day you are laid off or otherwise involuntarily terminated, no matter when it falls in the pay period.

If you were laid off and were scheduled to receive a paycheck in advance of work expected to be performed in the future, then your right to this anticipated paycheck is not protected by the wage and hour laws. If you confront these circumstances, you have the right to consult a private attorney concerning any rights related to the payment of these prospective wages.

If you have questions about unemployment insurance, you should contact the Department of Unemployment Assistance (“DUA”). Unemployment Insurance is a temporary income protection program for workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own but are able to work, available for work and looking for work. http://www.mass.gov/lwd/unemployment-insur/basic-ui-information/initial-claim/

The Attorney General’s Office is responsible for enforcing the Massachusetts Wage and Hour laws, including, but not limited to the payment of wages, overtime, minimum wage, meal breaks, child labor and misclassification laws in the Commonwealth. More information about the state’s wage and hour laws is also available in multiple languages at the Attorney General’s Workplace Rights website: www.massworkrights.com.